Face card

In a deck of playing cards, the term face card is generally used to describe a card that depicts a person as opposed to the pip cards.

The original court cards from Mamluk Egypt didn't show any faces to prevent idolatry.[1] Instead they showed abstract designs or calligraphy for the malik (king), nā'ib malik (viceroy or deputy king), and thānī nā'ib (second or under-deputy).[2] It wasn't until the cards arrived into Europe that illustrators could add human figures to these cards. Both Mamluk and modern decks include three face cards per suit, or twelve face cards in a deck of four suits.[3]